Cartel hitman flees to UK because of 'heat' put on him by gardai

A psychotic gangland criminal who is a suspect in at least two feud-related murders has fled to England because of the attention he was getting from gardai.

The volatile 36-year-old, who was based in Finglas, quit Dublin because he is "sick and tired" of the in-your-face policing tactics used by gardai and specialist units against the mobsters.

"This individual is temporarily out of the country and the situation is that he has become sick and tired of all the constant garda attention that he has been getting over the last few months," a source told the Herald.

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"He was identified as a key player in the Kinahan-Hutch feud because of his close association with the cartel, and gardai have certainly been keeping tabs on him."

Gardai had been operating a search-on-sight policy with the gangster and often used overt surveillance such as parking near his home when he was inside.

While he has fled, his girlfriend remains in north Dublin.

Since the Regency Hotel att-ack last February 5, the thug, who is facing serious criminal charges, has also been warned of an active threat against his life.

His home has been raided and he has been arrested and questioned about the murder of Eddie Hutch Snr in Dublin's north inner city last February 8.

Gardai have also been investigating if the criminal was involved in the murder of Noel 'Kingsize' Duggan (55), a former business partner of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, who was shot dead outside his home in Ratoath, Co Meath, on March 23.

The thug was warned about an active threat against his life because of his suspected role in the murders, but abused detectives when they issued him with the formal notice four months ago.

He was previously closely associated with Kevin Ledwidge, a 27-year-old Finglas criminal who was shot dead in July 2007, and with convicted killer David Cully (24), who was jailed for life in July last year for the gun murder of his uncle.

The criminal has forged a fierce reputation over the past two years and is now considered one of the most powerful gangsters in north Dublin.

It is understood he has a number of "runners" working for him, and while not considered a drugs wholesaler he is believed to be making thousands of euro each week from his involvement in drug distribution.

He is also linked to a Cabra criminal who was jailed last year in relation to a savage assault after which the victim died.

His gang has been investigated for a horrific aggravated burglary on foreign nationals last year.

Terrifying

A 13-year-old girl was tied up with cable-ties and two couples were threatened at gunpoint in a terrifying ordeal in what gardai said was a case of mistaken identity.

The thug also had links with slain gangster John Daly, who was shot dead in 2007. The pair served time together in Portlaoise Prison.

In May, the Herald revealed that the gangster threatened to decapitate another criminal in a bizarre row over a horse belonging to a teenager in an incident that happened in the Dunsink area of Finglas.

Weeks earlier, it emerged that he had terrified staff when he stormed into a northside gym and demanded subscription refunds for four of his pals who are either on the run or locked up.